Recent Video Conferences:

• Date : Friday October 16, 2009
  Time : 8.30 AM (UTSA)/7 PM (India) - 10 AM (UTSA)/8.30 PM (India)
  Speaker : Mark Appleford
  Title : Scaffold-based bone regeneration: from cell signaling to preclinical models
  Abstract : Osteogenesis is an essential feature for bone repairs and implant integration. Although considerable advances have been realized in biomaterial and tissue engineering in the last decade, substantial effort continues to focus on improving bone-material integration. Calcium phosphate (CP) materials have been widely used as bone fillers due to their excellent resemblance of natural apatite, the major inorganic portion of bone. Three-dimensional scaffolds produced from CP materials have found an ever increasing role in the development of in-vitro platforms for comprehensive cell behavior studies, as well as their clinical use in regenerative orthopedics. However, despite the substantial quantity of research in tissue engineering, there is a global lack of success in bringing this technology to the clinic. To improve bioactive ceramics, investigations focusing on how bone cells adapt and respond to dental and orthopedic biomaterials are warranted. Bone cells react to biophysical stimulation on two dimensional surface roughness gradients and three dimensional structures by activating specific biological signals and translating these responses into functional bone tissue. These cellular events, particularly involving integrin-based cell adhesion, environmental stress signaling and matrix formation, help us to improve the bioactive properties of implant materials and further develop tissue engineered products for regenerative medicine.